HELP ?!?!? Is this too big ?

Hey everyone like i said in my previous post im new lol as you can see this is my second post here so bare with me .

Anyways im just in the middle of setting up my enclosure for my bal python im picking up on sunday so basically what i need to know is if this heating pad is too big for my enclosure ......My tank is a 15 gallon 24X12X12 with a zoo med heating pad basically it covers half of the tank ......But like i said on my previous post my room temps are really low like 68-69 low at night time so considering the bigger pad will help me out alittle more with head rather than going smaller there still is a cold side availible for him i am also using a 40watt infrared heat bulb to bring up the overall ambient temps in the tank .......So my question is what you think about this heat pad ?

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/s...10115-0007.jpg

Looks fine to me. I think as long as you have it hooked up to a thermostat you'll be fine :)

Yeah looks fine, as long as nothing will be blocking or covering the cool side of the tank in such a way that the snake can't move to it when it wants to. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Austenh96

Yeah looks fine, as long as nothing will be blocking or covering the cool side of the tank in such a way that the snake can't move to it when it wants to. :gj:

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yup he has full acsess to the cool side i made sure that he has more than enough room ....my tank setup is pretty basic one hide on the hot side water bowl in the middle and another hide on the cool side pretty simple lol
im just fooling around trying to get all my temps right now .....i got a regualer household thermometer the one that has the probe with it ....i glue gunned the probe right too the glass where the UTH is then put the substrate on top......right now its reading alittle high like 105 degress but i dont see that being an issue its right on the glass were that temp is coming from and also the substrate will not heat up too that i dont think ....probably be bang on with 90-95 degress .....i just set this all up so i will see what my readings are in the morning after it all settles in i was just worried about my heating pad ....

thanks for all the replies if anyone else would like to add i would appreciate that

The substrate may not heat to that, but the ball python will bury, touch the glass, you can't expect him not too.

Get the heat under control, 90-92 is good, any higher is pushing it, 105 is burning.

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Originally Posted by A.VinczeBPs

The substrate may not heat to that, but the ball python will bury, touch the glass, you can't expect him not too.

Get the heat under control, 90-92 is good, any higher is pushing it, 105 is burning.

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how exactly should i control the temps for that i dont got that much money left lol so what is exactly invovled ?

If you can not afford a thermostat right now go to lowes or maybe walmart and get a $6.00 lamp dimmer. It is not perfect but much better than nothing.

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Originally Posted by TomC

If you can not afford a thermostat right now go to lowes or maybe walmart and get a $6.00 lamp dimmer. It is not perfect but much better than nothing.

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Just got the lamp dimmer im going to do my best too set it so that the top of the substrate is about 90 degrees Fahrenheit .....either way it for sure is going to be hotter than 90 down on the glass in order for it too be 90 on the top of the substrate .....hopefully he doesnt go down to the glass or anything other than that i have no idea what to do any help will be great thanks !!

I'd be using a 75w IR bulb in that tank. Heat mats get pretty hot through thin glass, as they tend to be on minimal power settings to be in the low 90s.

Agreed, it looks fine to me as well. Some people have to get two heating pads and cover the entire bottom of the tank to get it hot enough, in addition to their heat lamp. You'll have to set it all up and see what the temps read on both the hot and cool side.

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

Agreed, it looks fine to me as well. Some people have to get two heating pads and cover the entire bottom of the tank to get it hot enough, in addition to their heat lamp. You'll have to set it all up and see what the temps read on both the hot and cool side.

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Okay sounds good im still fooling around with the temps on my heat pad basically like i said before no matter what in order to get the substrate 91 degrees as a hot spot it is obviously going to be alot hotter down below on the glass above the UTH ......so what we be a good temp reading to have down right on the glass above the UTH as i do not want it too be that hot incase the snake ends up budging his way down to the glass .....yes i know my substrate wont be as hot by lowering the temps on the UTH but keep in mind I still have my heat light on the hot side and to help bring the ambient air temps up ....So i just would like to know whats a good temp reading below the substrate ?

thanks for all the help so far !!

Tape a/some sheet(s) of paper down on top of the glass above your UTH IMO. Mine was getting up to 97-100 degrees, according to my thermometer that I taped down on the bottom. When I put the probe on top of the newspaper and pressed it down (simulating the snake resting down on the paper) it read 90-94.

That would be a solution until you get a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

Tape a/some sheet(s) of paper down on top of the glass above your UTH IMO. Mine was getting up to 97-100 degrees, according to my thermometer that I taped down on the bottom. When I put the probe on top of the newspaper and pressed it down (simulating the snake resting down on the paper) it read 90-94.

That would be a solution until you get a thermostat.

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Okay sounds good .....even though when i get the thermostat what should the glass temp be above the UTH ? Basically i just want to know what temps should i have underneath the substrate ?

What are you using as substrate? The thing is you shouldn't have the floor much hotter than the low 90s, 95 tops. When you pile shavings or something on top of that the snake is probably getting mid 80's at best from it (unless they burrow down), which is probably no different than the heat your lamp is generating. A warm floor is better than a cold floor either way you cut it though. I'd use something thin like newspaper so that the UTH is more effective, just my 2 cents.

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

What are you using as substrate? The thing is you shouldn't have the floor much hotter than the low 90s, 95 tops. When you pile shavings or something on top of that the snake is probably getting mid 80's at best from it (unless they burrow down), which is probably no different than the heat your lamp is generating. A warm floor is better than a cold floor either way you cut it though. I'd use something thin like newspaper so that the UTH is more effective, just my 2 cents.

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Okay im using repti bark as a substrate and i currently have my heating pad set at 100 degrees so that its about mid 80's if that on the top of the substrate .....just from searching on the web I have been reading 100's is not enough to burn your snake ....that is he burrows down to the glass .....i think im going to leave the pad set at 100 degrees and have the heat bulb on aswell just over his hide and the heat bulb will help in my ambient air temps in the tank .

If your using a dimmer be careful if your room temperature changes, so will the temp of your heating pad. (80 in room= 90 pad than 90 in room= 100 pad.)

Hi,

An alternative is to use less substrate so that you can lower the temp - BP's are perfectly capable of moving the substrate aside.


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

An alternative is to use less substrate so that you can lower the temp - BP's are perfectly capable of moving the substrate aside.


dr del

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Yes i understand about the dimmer i will monitor it for sure and about taking out some substrate i did that as well basically all my temps are perfect cold side with an ambient temp of about 79-80 degrees and the hot side is about 88-90 degrees ......i just want to know at what temp will the ball python get burned ?

Obviously if its really hot it will get burned right away but if its just hot in general it will be smart enough to move for instance those temps listed above are substrate temps measured with a laser heat gun ... on the other hand if i move the substrate and measure the temp of the glass above the UTH its reading 103 degrees ...


let me know what you guys think should i leave it and just monitor it or should i mess around with it a little bit more ?

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Originally Posted by willgti

Yes i understand about the dimmer i will monitor it for sure and about taking out some substrate i did that as well basically all my temps are perfect cold side with an ambient temp of about 79-80 degrees and the hot side is about 88-90 degrees ......i just want to know at what temp will the ball python get burned ?

Obviously if its really hot it will get burned right away but if its just hot in general it will be smart enough to move for instance those temps listed above are substrate temps measured with a laser heat gun ... on the other hand if i move the substrate and measure the temp of the glass above the UTH its reading 103 degrees ...


let me know what you guys think should i leave it and just monitor it or should i mess around with it a little bit more ?

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Cant you connect the pad to a thermostat, like a pulsing one?

[QUOTE=Slyther83;1493295]Cant you connect the pad to a thermostat, like a pulsing one?[/QUOTE

not that i know of